An investigation into the performance of lifejackets worn by three fishermen who died after their boat sank has been widened out to other parts of Europe. The men lost their lives after abandoning the crab boat Louisa off Mingulay last year. The coastguard and maritime accident investigators have been examining the lifejackets and how they are tested. Partners agencies elsewhere in Europe have been contacted about a wider research and testing programme. The survival aids involved in the Louisa incident are understood to be widely used.,,On the latest developments, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “This is the first time we have had a concern identified with an in-service lifejacket and we are investigating urgently. click here to read the story 20:21

NILS STOLPE: The New England groundfish debacle (Part IV): Is cutting back harvest really the answer?

While it’s a fact that’s hardly ever acknowledged, the assumption in fisheries management is that if the population of a stock of fish isn’t at some arbitrary level, it’s because of too much fishing. Hence the term “overfished.” Hence the mandated knee jerk reaction of the fisheries managers to not enough fish; cut back on fishing. What of other factors? They don’t count. It’s all about fishing, because fishing is all that the managers can control; it’s their Maslow’s Hammer. When it comes to the oceans it seems as if it’s about all that the industry connected mega-foundations that support the anti-fishing ENGOs with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in “donations” are interested in controlling. Read the article here